Two male foreign nationals were charged by Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday for allegedly stealing more than $130,000 from Singapore Bank Corporation (SBC) ATMs using some 80 fake bank cards.

Aruna Salam Vinoraj, 34, a Sri Lankan national, and Delvin Joseph, 31, a Malaysian national, allegedly stole $133,198 from April 2 through 12, confirmed Te Sam Ang, a judge at Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

“They used fake ATM [cards] to withdraw money from SBC’s public ATMs in Daun Penh’s Chey Chumneah commune and in Chamkarmon’s Tonle Bassac commune,” Sam Ang said, adding that both suspects were arrested by military police while in the act of withdrawing cash using the cards.

Joseph was arrested at an ATM in Tonle Bassac commune and Vinoraj in Chey Chumneah on April 12.

During the hearing yesterday, both men owned up to their crimes, requesting the court to hand down a light sentence, allowing for an expedient return to their native countries.

Vinoraj admitted using 34 fake ATM cards over the 10-day period to withdraw about $15,000. He claimed the cards were supplied by a friend known as “Mal”, a Singaporean national who remains at large.

Joseph admitted to withdrawing a total of $5,600 during the same period with cards supplied by a 30-year-old man known as Raj, who also remains at large and allegedly gave the accused 10 per cent of the withdrawn funds.

The verdict will be handed down on October 11.